Grateful

I don't like to complain.  I find it annoying sometimes when people are just complaining.  I'm talking about more than just having a hard day or life being difficult.  I'm talking about people who just have nothing good to say and have to complain about it all the time.  I mentally try to keep myself away from it.

Except the last few weeks.  Life has not been working out the way its supposed to.  Add pregnancy hormones.  Oh poor, poor Brad.  He sure has put up with a lot of my complaining even though school has been horribly rough on him the last little bit.  And not just to Brad.  I find myself just complaining to myself.

Well, finally things have been working out for us.  There was one day this week when I literally found myself counting my blessings that have come into our lives in the past few weeks.  Can I tell about the wonderful things that have happened that I am so incredibly grateful for?

About a month ago I woke up with the worst back ache and have been dealing with the pain for weeks.  The baby was turning to be head down, but as he was doing so he was pinching a nerve in my back.  Finally a couple of weeks ago the baby has found a happy spot and I am pain free.  And I am so grateful for so many reasons.  One, this baby isn't breech, which is one less thing to worry about.  Also, there are so many people who deal with chronic pain.  My dad has had back problems for years before he got back surgery.  Still not fixed, but better.  And he doesn't ever complain about it.  And I know that there are a lot of women out there who would say, "I would take your pain for the entire 9 months, if only I could have a baby."  I have a wonderful and amazing friend, Shelley.  Her experiences with losing her angel baby Luke have impacted how I react to this pregnancy so much.  I am so incredibly blessed to be having this baby.  He's made it plenty clear that he's supposed to be in our family right now.  He's been quite the fighter with all that he's been through.  For that, I am grateful everyday that my baby is still healthy and alive.

Going along with baby getting ready to come, I've had this nagging worry about not being ready for this baby.  Not in a am-I-going-to-be-a-good-parent sort of way, but in a we-need-so-many-things-for-this-baby sort of a way.  Well, I was finally able to find a good crib and dresser on Craigslist and some friends in our ward supplied a truck so that we could pick them up.  I had some wonderful friends throw me a baby shower and received so many wonderful gifts.  I've also been picking up things here and there as they have been going on sale so I'm slowly getting the things that we need.  I'm feeling a lot better about being ready for this baby.

I also had a pressing need to get a Dr.'s appointment (nothing scary, just a prescription refill), but since I was a new patient at this office they were already booked out 1 to 2 months.  I had enough pills to last me a few weeks, but I would definitely run out of my prescription before getting in.  But I was lucky enough to call right after someone cancelled and was able to get for 3 days later (I think the excuse that I'm pregnant and really can't go without the medication also helped.)  Just a little blessing that helped out a lot.

I've also been in a little bit negative about living in Philadelphia.  Ok, a lot negative.  I know our experience here hasn't been typical, but it has been our experience.  But you know the one thing I really, really love about Philadelphia?  We have the best friends out here.  Wonderful, amazing friends.  Friends who have helped us out a lot this year.  Lately we've been doing a lot of things with our friends like General Conference, Easter, and Rocky night.  I love our wonderful friends.

Brad hasn't been having it easy either.  He's been incredibly busy with school.  He's been putting in a bunch of extra hours in the evening at school.  And it's just so, so tough.  With all this going on though, Brad has still been trying so hard to find time to be with me and to take care of me.  He's so wonderful to me.

Finally, we've been dealing with the ever annoying housing search.  I think I hate it almost as much as job searching.   It's lasted about as long as a job search too.  And recently it's been getting to me more than ever.  We really, really want to be in a new place before the baby comes.  And it's been stressing me out because we have been running out of time.  But after months of searching, we've found a place.   We're going to be able to move before the baby is here.  And I LOVE the house we have found.  It's a twin home in a quiet suburb.  The landlord is completely renovating the whole home.  New windows, new electric wiring, new insulation, new kitchen, refinished hardwood floors, new paint, washer, dryer, dishwasher, storage, walk in closet in the master, parking.  It even has 3 bedrooms so baby can have his room and still have room for family and friends to come visit/be Brad's study.  There is even a little backyard with a pink flowering dogwood tree.

Moving also means we needed to help get our current place leased out.  After posting it on Craigslist, we had someone see the place, apply, get credit approved, and sign a lease in just 5 days after posting it.  5.  We couldn't ask for a better situation to work out.

I know most of these things are pretty small.  But I've just felt so overwhelmingly blessed these past few weeks.  I guess things do work out in the end.